2 colorful bourbons to pick a president by

Just in time for the presidential caucus in Iowa today, Heaven Hill Distilleries has released a clever marketing gimmick — a pair of bourbons to mark the run-up to November’s final national vote: Red State and Blue State bourbons.

Try as I may, I could discern no difference in taste between these two bourbons. However, that was OK with me, Both were quite nice, which is typical of products from the Bardstown, KY, distiller.

For those who may be confused by the promotion, states that tend to vote Republican in presidential elections are commonly known as “red states,” and Democrat-leaning states are “blue.” A nice shorthand for the political pundits and talking heads on TV.

Heaven Hill has wrapped a large marketing campaign around the idea, including Facebook pages for each of the two bourbons, carrying information and charitable giving opportunities. For every “like” on either Facebook page, Heaven Hill will donate $1 to the VFW Foundation, the charity arm of the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization.

The 80 proof bourbons sell for about $15 per 750ml bottle. Go to Dowd’s Tasting Notes for my take on them.